Respecting Today
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: How would Lorelai feel if something were to happen to someone who owns a certain diner? Just a fic to remind us to tell our loved ones they're loved.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer I own nothing. _If I did, I wouldn't take credit for season 6_. Who said that? It's all WB and AS-P or CW and DR. Either way, it's not me.

OK, peoples, first fic here. Just had an idea that I felt the need to get on paper. Then on the computer. Then on Hope you all enjoy.

**Respecting Today**

The phone fell to the floor and smashed open upon contact. She grasped the table as she tried her best to remain standing. That became harder by the second since her legs seemed to turn to Jello beneath her. She stumbled a bit until her back hit the wall nearest to the table, and she slumped slowly down, depending on the wall to be her support.

Lorelai had never been the type to have great organization where her thoughts were concerned. She wondered briefly how Liz had gotten her number. The thought was pushed forcefully out of her mind as she used all quarters of her brain as a blanket. She tried to wrap her mind around it. She replayed the words that came from Liz- the wonderfully kooky sister of Luke_. Luke_. She closed her eyes and focused.

"_Luke was in an accident. He died instantly."_

She reopened her eyes and took note of the panicky feeling that began to creep slowly through her body. She brought her hands to her temples as her elbows rested on her raised knees.

"It's a joke," she said in a whisper. "Of course, it's a joke."

She found her strength again as she sprung up from her floor position and started scanning her living room for her cell. The house phone was officially unusable. Spotting it, she swallowed a huge lump in her throat as she shakily worked on hitting speed dial #2. Number 1 gave her quick connection to Rory, while number 2 was her lifeline to the coffee kingdom also known as _Luke's_ diner. This was the first time that, as she waited for an answer, she didn't prepare herself to sniff the air hoping that the coffee would magically overcome all rules of science and travel through the phone lines and give her instant nasal gratification.

She shifted nervously on her feet as she waited for an answer. No one picked up. The time was 9 am, and no one was answering at _Luke's. _Hell officially had snow flurries. She took the phone from her ear and slammed it shut a little harder than Margie probably preferred. Ordinarily, she'd take a moment or two and apologize to her phone, but now just wasn't the time. She would understand.

She had no idea what she was going to do, but she found herself growing slightly agitated as she wondered how far they were going to take this joke. There was no humor to be found. If Lorelai Victoria Gilmore couldn't find the humor, then there truly was no humor to be found.

Knowing that she couldn't just sit there, Lorelai grabbed her car keys and headed for the door. Upon opening it, she was shocked to see Rory standing at the entryway. Her head was bowed and she looked as if she was contemplating whether or not to enter.

"Rory?" Lorelai asked. She noticed the trails of tears on her daughter's face, and she noticed the tears gearing up to follow suit. With that, she knew. She knew, but still, she refused to believe.

**_Rory's in on it. Yeah. She's getting me back for that little white lie that I told her when she was 9. I told her that if you eat ten marshmallows in one day, the Michelin Man would come and get revenge. Nobody likes to have their relatives eaten in large consumptions. It was wrong, but she was getting ready to eat the last marshmallow in her S'more. Desperate measures. When she realized that my intentions weren't honorable (or truthful), she swore revenge. For ten years, I'd been on the lookout. Now, she was getting even. Though, I'd argue that this was a bit extreme._**

"Rory, what's wrong?" Lorelai inquired. Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive as Rory's bloodshot eyes moved upward and focused on her face. Lorelai's lip quivered uncontrollably as she silently begged Rory to put an end to the charade "Rory, please!" Lorelai heard herself screech. Her eyes were filling with tears and she blinked them away so they wouldn't block her view.

Rory stared her in the eyes as she slowly shook her head side to side. Her small body shook as she stifled a sob. She opened her mouth to speak, thinking that composure had surfaced. Her tear-filled voice proved otherwise.

"Jess called. Luke is dead, Mom."

Lorelai's keys fell to the floor, and she backed slowly into the foyer.

"Stop. Stop. Just please, stop!" She was crying by this point. "This isn't funny!"

Upon seeing her mother lose control, Rory broke out crying too. She walked toward her with outstretched arms, ready to envelope her. She wanted to comfort her mom, and after driving for 30 minutes, she needed comfort of her own. She knew she should have gotten a friend _or Paris_ to drive her, but her mind went blank, and all she could think about was getting to Stars Hollow. To her mom.

Lorelai continued to cry, her legs growing weak once again. Without warning, she hit the floor. Hard. Apparently, her bones had gone into mourning also. Rory rushed over and joined her. She tried to keep her own emotions under control as it became abundantly clear that Lorelai would need the strength. All of hers seemed to leave her body as she lay crumpled on the floor.

"Luke!" She called out. Rory held her tightly, almost trying to soak up some of the pain that was overtaking her mom. She had never seen her like this torn before. It was breaking her heart. Lorelai, whose hands had been balled into tight fists, started using them to weakly crawl toward the front door, all the while, calling Luke's name frantically. Rory's firm grip on her allowed her little movement, though.

Finally, Lorelai gave up and let out a piercing scream. She sat up and threw her arms weakly around her daughter as her body convulsed rapidly. She continued to sniffle out Luke's name until it was nothing but a low whisper.

"Oink!" Lorelai continued to sob quietly as the new sound worked its way into her senses. "Oink!" She pushed herself gently from Rory's shoulder and looked at her daughter through puffy eyes. "Oink!" She saw and heard the sound come from Rory's lips. Rory looked back at her sadly. "Oink!" She cocked her head to the side and looked at Rory quizzically. Tears continued to roll down her face. "Oink!" Suddenly, Rory disappeared, but the sound remained. "Oink!" She closed her eyes and slipped away.

Lorelai jolted up in the bed and looked around her room with wide eyes. Her piggy alarm clock continued to sing out. "Oink, oink, oink!" She reached over and gently pushed the pig's 'off' button. Usually Babe would get knocked or thrown to the floor as she tried to sleepily stop the Oinkings, but the violent morning routine got put aside this particular morning. Lorelai was preoccupied with wondering what exactly had occurred. Her cheeks were wet. She reached up and wiped away the tears. It didn't take long for her to remember what had caused them, and it was a great relief to realize that it was just a dream.

She brought her hand up to her left arm and began to randomly pinch; she had to make sure THIS was, indeed, reality. Relieved, she laid her head back down on the pillow and covered her face with her hands. The tears reappeared. Even though the occurrences were a dream, it still didn't prevent her from reliving the hurt in the dream. As she thought more about it, she cried more. _Luke had died_. Just associating Luke with the word 'dead' led her to cry harder.

"Oh my God!" She said somewhat loudly. "It was a dream! He's fine!"

She straightened her body on the bed. It was almost as if she thought that stiffening her body would stiffen her emotions as well. "Stop crying," she said forcefully. At least she tried to sound forceful. It came out sounding _forcefully_ forceful. It also didn't help that it was followed by more tears. She sat straight up and tilted her head back.

"OK, I'll make a deal with you," she said to her tears. "If you stay in there and don't make me seem like such a wimp, I promise to go to the gym and sweat buckets so that you'll have some way to escape." She waited a beat. "Deal?" She brought her head back down and the tears continued to steadily fall. She shook her head and climbed off of the bed. She smiled sadly to herself. "Stupid smart tears."

She went to the bathroom and relieved herself before standing in front of the mirror. She scanned her face, taking in her sad appearance. "I am seriously crying over something that never even happened," she deadpanned while staring into her own eyes. "This is ridiculous." She walked back into her bedroom, instantly picking up the phone. After dialing the number that she could rattle off in her sleep, she placed it to her ear and waited.

"_Hello, you've reached Rory. If you're wondering why I didn't pick up the phone, wonder no more. I was up until 4:37 am finishing my British Lit. Review, and I was exhausted on twenty different levels, so I've made plans to sleep until I have to go to my 2 pm class. Sad, yes. But, still, very true. If this is an emergency, please call my dorm room. If it's not an emergency, do not call because you'll wake Paris, and her yelling will wake me, and that'll suck. So, bottom line, leave a message, and I'll get back to you. Thank you."_

Lorelai smiled into the phone. She waited for the beep before speaking. "Hey Hon. You really need to work on lengthening your voicemail message. It's annoyingly short. I hope you're getting some good dream-filled sleep right now since you can't pick up the phone for Mommy. You know, uh, REM sleep. Why do they call it rapid eye movement? Your eye's not moving. It's your eyelid that's doing all the blinking. It should be called RELM. Realm sleep." She chuckled. "Anyway," Her voice gained seriousness usually foreign to her. "I just called to say that I love you." She paused. Those three words that had never been muttered to anyone except Rory and her parents (when she was young) just didn't seem like they were enough when being directed toward her kid. She breathed deep, going back into her normal tone. "Well, call me later. By the way, try not to stay up 'til 4:37 in the morning, OK? Round it up to 5:00. It'll give you a sense of accomplishment. Talk to ya later."

She hung up the phone and relaxed onto the floor. She was sitting Indian-style, leaning against her bed. She was planning on using the day to run some errands for the Inn, which was the reason for her early awakening. 8:15 am. The list of things to do got pushed from her mind as she sat thinking about the dream that seemed just a little too real for her taste. Happy that the waterworks had stopped, she quickly tried to change focus to prevent any further crying.

Coffee. The reason morning time hadn't gotten voted off of the island. She went to her closet and rifled through it so that she could shower, dress, and head out to get to her liquid love.

By 9:30, Lorelai was standing in front of the diner. She didn't feel like dressing up today so she was casual with some tennis shoes. They were practically new since she hardly ever wore them. Luke moved toward the window and an instant smile formed on Lorelai's lips. _He's alright_. She felt like bawling just at the sight of him, but control was hers once again. Luke spotted her and rolled his eyes at her as she stood just staring at him. He motioned for her to enter, and she walked in, the smile still present.

"Hey Luke," she said upon entering.

"Hey," he said casually, moving back toward the counter with the coffee pot attached to his hand. She sat down at the counter and placed her purse in the seat next to her. "Coffee and what else?" Luke asked, already pouring her a cup.

"Just coffee," she answered softly. He returned the pot back to the heating base and turned back around, catching Lorelai's eye.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" She asked in the same soft tone, looking intently at him.

"Like that," Luke said, motioning toward her with his head.

She blinked and cast her eyes downward to her coffee cup. "Oh, sorry." She brought her hands to the cup and took a sip.

He picked up his order pad and started jotting some things down. "You OK?" He asked, trying to sound distracted and indifferent.

"I'm fine, Luke." She looked at him once again and smiled faintly.

"A little short-witted today, aren't we?" He asked her.

"I've decided to give the town a break. You know, give them time to catch up. One day should suffice. Whaddya think?"

His response was a frown and a slight nod. He put the pad down and took a quick glance around the diner. Addressing Caesar in the back, he yelled, "I'm going in the storeroom for a minute. Watch the diner, will ya?"

"Sure boss," came Caesar's reply.

Luke looked at Lorelai and tilted his head quickly in the direction of the storeroom before heading in there. She didn't know if he was letting her know that's where he was going or if he wanted her to follow him. She slid off of the stool and moved toward the back. When she got in there, he didn't seem surprised or mad at her presence so she came fully into the chilly room.

"You seem a little distant. What's wrong?" He was unpacking jars of pickles and he barely looked at her as he said the words. She stood off to the side of him watching his every move. She shook her head and tried to smile again. It was made a little more difficult as her lips quivered. Luke noticed this. He stopped unpacking and made a small move toward her. "Lorelai?" He sounded so worried, and this is what broke her. Crying seemed to have quickly become her MO.

"I'm fine, Luke," she said, waving her hand and chuckling through her tears.

"I can tell," he said sarcastically. He looked around the small room and spotted a box of tissues. He picked it up and brought it to Lorelai, closing the distance between them just a bit more.

She laughed as she took a couple. "You get a lot of women crying in here?"

A corner of his mouth turned up as he regarded her thoughtfully. "Well, it's a very emotional storeroom."

She closed her eyes and wiped at her face briefly before staring back at him. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and shoved his hands in his back pockets. "You want to talk about it?" He asked. Without anything in front of him to show his contrived nonchalance, his voice dripped with concern and tenderness.

She didn't look sad. Mainly because she wasn't. It could have been a happy cry, but since she kept replaying the sentence by dream-Liz, '_He died instantly_', happiness wasn't accurate either. She hardly felt happy upon hearing that. The truth was she didn't know exactly what she was feeling. Relieved would have been an understatement.

"Luke?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," he answered eagerly.

"Uh," she started to stutter, unsure of what to say. "Can I just….?" She reached her arms out and walked over to him quickly. Her arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, and her head lay comfortably on his chest as she cried softly.

At first a little taken back by Lorelai's affectionate gesture, Luke held his arms uncomfortably by his side. That only lasted for a second as one hand found a place in her hair and the other around her back. He pulled her tightly to him as her body shook from her whimpers.

"It's gonna be OK," he said reassuringly. "Let it out." His voice was low and full of emotion as he, himself, grew weak with his inability to take away her pain. He bent his head down slightly and caught a tiny whiff of her hair, noticing, by no fault of his own, the strong scent of sweet berry type something or another. Her shampoo, maybe. The irony was not lost on him how she'd use fruit substances for her hair but wouldn't dare let it pass her lips. Unless, of course, it was accompanied by something that'd clog an artery and prevent it from going somewhere good in her body.

When Lorelai heard a small sniffle over her head, she pulled back enough so that she could see Luke. He loosened his grip but diverted his eyes quickly to a corner in the room. "Are you OK?" Lorelai asked him trying to meet his gaze. She slid her hands around his waist and up to his chest. One of her hands moved up, but hung unsurely in the air as she felt the urge to touch his two or three-day stubble-covered cheek. Not coming to a firm decision, she decided to settle for his shoulder. "Luke?" She asked after of few seconds of silence.

He took a deep breath and blinked several times before meeting her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered hurriedly, his jaw clenching tightly. Her wide expression softened as she felt her heart swell in her chest for the sheer emotion that was emanating from the man in front of her. He stood there, his feet shoulder length apart, and though their embrace placed them uncharacteristically close, Lorelai took a few steps until their pelvises met, her feet between both of his. She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself up until she was almost on her tip-toes. She was careful not to disturb his ever-present baseball cap as she hugged him close.

"I didn't mean to depress you too," she said to lighten the mood.

He cleared his throat and lifted his mouth from her shoulder. "You're not depressing me," he deadpanned. Yet, he tightened his new grip around her waist. They stood that way for minutes, neither saying anything, but both willing to take in the other's feelings. Verbal or otherwise. This was easily the best conversation they'd ever had with one another--a close second being the _actual_ one that took place on the floor behind the counter of the diner.

Neither of them were sure when, but they had begun to sway. A subtle rock from left to right led them to close their eyes, and it gave silent permission to surrender to the moment.

Luke brought his left hand up and gently pushed Lorelai's hair back. She drew in a breath. He brought his hand back down to her waist and pulled her tight, closing any distance that may have resulted from his movement. Lorelai felt his breath on her neck and though her sobs had subsided all together, her body still shook. He brought his lips to her neck and let them rest there.

Up until now, their entire bodies swayed, sort of like a bonded pendulum. But suddenly, without any forethought, Lorelai began to very slowly and very skillfully maneuver her hips. Given their close proximity, there wasn't much doubt as to which part of his body would notice the movements first. She hadn't done this purposefully, but the sensation made her not want to stop. She wasn't even aware that she had caused the new feeling. A soft moan escaped her lips, and Luke knew he would not be able to control his body much longer. If this were twenty years ago, he would have, not only been at full attention, but he would, no doubt, have emptied his barrel too. He definitely didn't miss those days.

Slowly, he dragged his arms from her back until his hands rested idly on her sides. He lifted his head as he gently pushed her away from his body. She reluctantly stepped back and looked like she'd just been woken from a pleasurable dream.

He reached his hand up to her temple so softly that it felt to Lorelai like a nice and deliberate wind. He drew his finger down and around her face to behind her ear as he deposited her hair there.

They held each other's gaze even as Lorelai stepped back to him and placed both hands gently over his heart. She felt an indescribable desire to touch him. _He was real_. _Standing right here_. _Not dead_.

Caesar appeared in the doorway. They both had heard him walking back, but neither made a move to break away. He seemed to have had no clue or care as to what was going on as he stated breathlessly, "Uh, boss, the diner's getting a little packed. I was handling it, but then Kirk started asking for special coffee mixtures, and Andrew started to complain about- -"

"OK Caesar. I'll be right out," Luke said cutting him off. He left just as quickly as he had come.

Lorelai was now staring at her hands as they lay unmoving on top of his flannel. He remained still, trying not to disturb the placement of her hands. "Lorelai?" He asked tenderly. She looked into his eyes, still amazed at how she'd never taken the time to notice that they were blue. A dark beautiful blue. "You OK?" He asked again.

"I will be," she said bringing her hands down to rest in his. "Just—" She paused. She tried to arrange her thoughts, which was easier said than done, especially in the mind of Lorelai. Luke waited patiently for her to continue. "I hope you know that you mean a lot to me."

He looked at her confusedly before slowly nodding his head. She noticed his confusion so she attempted to elaborate. "I mean, you're an important person in my life, Luke. Really important. And I care about you and your well-being. A lot." She stopped, thinking that if she continued, she would break down.

Luke looked down and then back at her responding, "Am I dying?" His tone was teasing. A definite rarity.

"God, I hope not," she whispered with a straight face.

He recognized that she was being serious, so he decided to join her. "Well, you mean a lot to me too. You and Rory," he said, squeezing her hands in his.

"Good," she said.

"Good," he concluded. She smiled and released her hands from his. He wondered what had prompted her to reveal all of this to him, but it was easier for him not to ask. So, he just took comfort in knowing that she didn't just view him as the coffee supplier. He actually meant something to someone in this creepy, fairytale hell of a town. He meant something to Lorelai. They both released a huge sigh simultaneously.

"Well, I'm gonna…" He pointed a finger in the direction of the diner and Lorelai nodded knowingly. He had a diner to run.

Instead of leaving, though, he moved toward her so that she could hear his soft statement. He placed both hands on either side of her arms as he spoke to her. "If you need to talk or…" His voice drifted away. He knew that she would be able to pick up on the millions of things that he meant to follow the 'or'. "I'm here," he said simply. That was Luke. Always said so little but communicated so much. She nodded understandably. "Anytime," he added.

"Same here," she said in a joking tone. But they both knew she meant it. With every fiber of her being, she meant it.

"OK," he said, satisfied at the outcome. He started to walk away but felt compelled to do something that he wasn't sure he had the right to do. It seemed like lines had been crossed, or at least blurred, but he wasn't willing to assume. After all, he was still Luke. He decided to throw caution to the wind and do it anyway. He closed the distance between them and brought his lips to her forehead. He closed his eyes and kissed the skin there. _Is it possible for a forehead to be this smooth and soft_? He thought this as his lips lingered on her forehead. He broke away and walked briskly back into the diner.

Lorelai stood there with her eyes still closed. They had automatically shut as soon as he made contact. She sensed he was gone because his body heat no longer surrounded her. She swallowed hard, and with her eyes still closed, she brought her hand slowly up to the spot where Luke had kissed. She fingered the area lightly before sluggishly opening her eyes. She glanced around the room.

"Well, that was new," she said distractedly. She wiped her face one last time, removing any traces of tears before making her way out of the storeroom.

-AND...SCENE-

First off, I'd like to say that I appreciate anyone who has read or will read this. It's ten or fifteen minutes taken out of your life for me...a stranger. It means a lot. Secondly, this was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but if interest levels are high, who knows? If not, then, it's been fun. Either way, click on that pretty little purple button for me. Peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclamer** Still don't own anything.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who took time out and reviewed. You guys almost made my head swell a bit there. Lots and lots of love with extra love sprinkled on top! I thought I'd write one more chapter just to give it a better sense of being finished. Hopefully, I didn't mess up what you all liked about it. Enjoy!

Respecting Today **Part II**

Lorelai walked through the town on her way back home with her cell phone plastered to her ear. Though she had become an expert on walking in any form of heel, she felt that her sneakers offered a welcome comfort to her step. The great feeling almost put her in the mood to walk with a little more vigor, but she cleverly refused to do so. She felt that that was an obvious slippery slope. It would lead to jogging, which would lead to light sprints, and before she knew it, she'd be running and taking nice calculated breaths. She made a mental note to write to the people at Nike. It was a conspiracy that needed be stopped.

"So, your phone call from this morning?"

"Oh, yeah. I just called to---hey, I left a message!" Lorelai faked shock and annoyance.

"Yes you did," Rory spoke slowly as if addressing a special child. "And you did a very good job, too. Who picked up the phone and dialed the number all by herself?"

There was a brief pause, which prompted Rory to let out a small giggle. "You know," began Lorelai "if you weren't so pretty, this cruel treatment that you give to your one and only mother would really hurt. Luckily, your baby blues make up for all of the abuse."

"Hail the healing powers of the iris," Rory said enthused.

"What I meant," Lorelai said, slight amusement apparent in her voice, "was that I left a message telling you what I called for. What's the point of asking someone to leave a voicemail message if you are going to call them back and ask them to repeat their call's intent? It's pointless. Yale's not really all that it's cracked up to be, is it? Am I going to have to call and ask them to leave you back in Cell Phone Usage 101 another semester?"

"I was hoping you would. There are just some things in cellular composition that just can't be learned in four months. Hopefully, you have no plans for the rest of the day because I have no idea how to end a call."

"Oh, Hon, all you have to do is flip the phone shut," Lorelai said teasingly.

"Did you just _learn _me something new?"

"That's my Valedictorian."

"I am the future," Rory said confidently.

They both let out a short series of chuckles. "No, really, I just called to let you know that I was thinking about you and I love you and stuff." Lorelai looked down as she pictured her daughter on the other end of the phone. The image made her smile.

"Well, Mom, I love you and stuff too," Rory answered. "You know that."

"Always a good thing to hear."

"Mom?" Rory asked, suddenly serious.

"Yeah, Sweets?"

"You sounded a little apprehensive on the message. Of course it was tucked protectively between that wonderful Gilmore wit, but I kind of got the feeling that something was wrong."

"Intuitive much?"

"Only on weekdays. Hours of operation fluctuate depending on emotional stability of those I hold dear."

"Oh, I feel privileged."

"Rightly so. So," Rory breathed heavy which led Lorelai to believe that she was getting comfortable. "What happened?"

"It was nothing. I just had a dream that seemed like not-a-dream." She stopped talking and used the pause in conversation to reflect on the morning's events. "When I woke up, I was a bit freaked is all."

"What was the dream about?" Rory asked.

Lorelai climbed the steps to her house and pulled her keys from her purse. "Well," she began a little preoccupied. "While I am not really in a rush to relive the hell that was my once spectacular dream life…" She dropped her keys on the coffee table and flopped down on the sofa, unsure of how to put the feelings into words. "It was bad kid. The awful-est of bads."

"What happened?" Rory asked. Lorelai could almost see her brow wrinkling in concern on the other end. "Was it me?" She said it like a last minute thought. "Was Paris involved? Because she _has_ been more irritable lately. Can you imagine? We've all been kind of just staying out of—"

"It was Luke," Lorelai said, cutting her off.

"Oh. Well, he's OK, isn't he?" Lorelai said nothing in response. The pause caused fear to surface in Rory's voice. "Mom! Oh my goodness…please tell me he's---"

"He's fine, Baby," Lorelai said in a low tone.

Rory let out a sigh of relief. "…She said after nearly giving her daughter a heart attack."

"Sorry," Lorelai said absentmindedly.

"It's alright. Eventually my heart will feel homesick and find its way back inside my chest. So, the dream…you want to tell me about it?"

Lorelai could feel tears readying themselves for an unwanted encore performance. "I don't care to get into specifics," her voice cracked noticeably as she said this. "But for those of you who were not there for the feature show…Luke. Accident. Phone call. Major suckage."

"Oh, Mom, I am so sorry. Are you doing OK?" Her voice was caring and consoling, almost as if she were providing comfort to someone who had lost someone special. That is, however, before she went into panic mode. "Oh, my…I am so selfish. Here I was sleeping well into the afternoon when you needed to talk. I can't believe I can be that self-centered. I just turned off my cell phone, thinking only about ME and MY need for sleep. I so suck..."

Lorelai smiled into the phone, only partially listening to her daughter's emotional spiel. No matter what depressing, unflattering events were taking place in her life, Rory always seemed to make them seem less horrible. A lot of it had to do with the fact that she was a walking, talking Heart. Her existence eased the pain that life sometimes seemed to be genetically attached to.

Her thoughts were rapidly pushed aside when she focused in on the lunacy of Rory's words. "Rory, stop," Lorelai said forcefully. Realizing that she now had the full floor, she began to speak. "You are the greatest daughter and all around person that I know. You are hardly selfish, and hearing you say that you are is crazy." She paused to allow reflection of her words. "Now, you are attending one of the best school's in the country. I expect you to study hard. To do that, you have to be well-rested. You could have been knocked out from a night of drinking, and I still wouldn't tolerate you berating yourself like that. I won't allow it. Kapeesh?"

"You know Mom, there are other things you could do with your free time other than sit around and watch Full House re-runs," Rory said, choosing to focus on the very last part of her mom's rant.

"Perish the thought. What would the Olsen Twins think?" Lorelai asked, latching quickly to the not-so-smooth segue. An ability that she and her daughter had mastered.

"They'd probably think that it was a great step in the world's ability to move on from a 15-year old TV show."

"Hey! It's only about 12 years old, thank you."

"Much better," Rory said sarcastically. They gave the banter a proper silence to add a since of finality. "Have you seen him today?" Rory asked, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah, I went to the diner this morning." Lorelai stared at the far wall, thinking about the breakdown in the storeroom. Her intention had definitely not been to cry in front of him, but her tear duct hadn't gotten that particular Memo. Or it had chosen to ignore it. Either way, she had lost all emotional control. She remembered hugging him and the smell of his cologne came thundering strongly into her memory, almost making her think that he had just entered her living room. She closed her eyes and swallowed what seemed to be the last trace of saliva in her mouth.

"Mom, you still there?" Asked Rory.

"Yeah, uh, I'm here," Lorelai said, returning to the present. The tone in Rory's voice let her know that she had been calling her name for a while. "What'd you say, Hon?"

"I asked you if you told him about the dream."

"No, I, uh, d-didn't," she answered.

"Oh, no," Rory deadpanned, "what happened?"

"Nothing _happened_," Lorelai said, her voice using inflection to bring home her point. "What makes you think that something _happened_?"

"Well, let me think about that," she paused. "I _happen_ to think that you _happen _to be saying the word _happen_ with just a bit more emphasis than the word _happen_ has ever _happened_ to have ever received."

"Is it me or is the word '_happen' _starting to sound really dirty?" Lorelai asked with a light giggle.

"It's just you," Rory answered quickly.

"It always is," Lorelai conceded shaking her head with feigned sadness.

"Sooooo….?" Rory asked, unwilling to allow her mom escape from the subject.

"You know what's weird?" Lorelai asked, seeming to have ignored her daughter's open-ended inquisition.

"What's weird, Mom?" Rory asked acquiescingly.

"Luke is a really great guy," she said simply.

Rory waited a beat before responding. "Mom, I don't have a Webster's on hand seeing as how it's ten feet away and I'd need an _extra set_ of feet to have the strength to get up and go get it, but I think I could offer you a pretty decent definition of the word 'weird'. And, according to my mental description, I have no idea how that sentence remotely falls into anything relating to the makings of 'weird' content.

"You know, some people, when presented with a confusing statement, just offers a simple _'What?'_" Lorelai said, on the verge of laughter.

"I'll have to remember that," Rory said dismissively. "Now, you were saying..."

"I was saying that Luke is a great guy, but…that's not what the town sees. He's always putting up this mean, grumpy, the-world-and-everyone-in-it-can-bite-my-ass front, but he's an amazing person." She slid further into the couch staring (unbeknownst to her) dreamily toward the ceiling.

"I know. Please tell me that you aren't just noticing this for the first time." Rory said.

"No, no, no," Lorelai replied hurriedly, waving her hand. "I've always known that, but, I don't know…it's weird."

"What's weird? How you're feeling?"

"I don't know," Lorelai replied genuinely. It's just that," She sat up quickly on the couch and scooted back toward the arm of it like that'd allow better flow of her thoughts. "When I had that dream, I just got so scared, ya know? I mean, it seemed _so_ real. And all I could think about was that Luke wouldn't be here anymore." She stopped and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "It scared the hell out of me, Rory." Lorelai was caught off guard by the seriousness in her own voice, and she silently scolded herself for allowing vulnerability to show to her daughter.

"That's completely understandable," Rory stated. "He's a big part of your life. Of our lives. I'd be crushed if something were to happen to him, so I know _you_ would go berserk."

"Do I even want to know what you meant by that?"

"By what?" Rory asked

"The verbal highlight."

"Well, it's not like you're going to listen anyway, so NO! If years and years of having it told directly to your face hasn't done anything, one phone call will accomplish nothing."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but whatever it is, it sounds as if you are calling your dear sweet mother naïve, child of mine."

"Well, _mother_ of mine, if the Jimmy Choo shoe fits you…"

"Oh, playing dirty. The shoe gods curse you."

"Just considering my audience."

"Nicely played," Lorelai said.

"I try," Rory said. "Look, Mom, I have to go because I have a last minute meeting with my professor. But, if you want me to, I can drop by afterwards. It'll be a little late, but I can work it out."

"No, I think I'll be OK. Besides, you have an early class tomorrow."

"It's no biggie. I can just leave super early in the morning."

"No, Sweetie, I really am fine. It helped a lot just to hear your voice…just stay at school, and enjoy your parental-free lifestyle. I'll see you on Friday, 'kay?

"Okay," Rory agreed reluctantly. "But if you need to call and talk or anything, just give me a ring. My cell will definitely be on tonight. Kapeesh?" She asked, copying her mother's earlier usage.

"You got it dude," Lorelai said in her best kiddie voice. The impression wasn't dead-on, but she was sure Rory would get the relation.

"Michelle would be proud," Rory said approvingly, almost reading her mother's mind.

"Then my life's mission is complete."

"Mom?" Rory asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"I love you…and stuff."

Lorelai chuckled lightly. "Hallmark has competition." She breathed deep. "I love you and stuff too."

"Bye."

"Bye, Baby."

After hanging up with Rory, Lorelai considered briefly turning on the TV out of habit. Too much quiet was not good. Thoughts start to fly and mind starts to wonder. Never a good thing, but she decided to bite the bullet anyway. She actually had thoughts that she wanted to deliberate on for a while. Thoughts that were overwhelmingly wanting some attention. The first that popped into her mind made her smile a little. _What exactly was Luke's cologne?_ It smelled really familiar and not being able to place her finger on it was killing her.

"Christopher!" She said, snapping her fingers. He was the reason why the smell was recognizable to her. She had bought the cologne for him when they were teenagers, but he didn't take to it too well. He wore it a couple of months because it was a gift, but soon switched to something that smelled to Lorelai like scented bug spray. She thought hard about the scent and realized that while the fragrance had been pinpointed, the scent was different than she remembered. It was better.

A cheesy grin spread over her face once she came to the conclusion that the difference, the best part of the scent, was that it was Luke. His natural body scent. That was something that no one could package. Luke, not being one to succumb easily to many changes, had managed to take an old 20-year scent and still make it affect the opposite sex positively. Not that she would admit to being affected. Because in her mind, she was just a female who could appreciate a nice smelling man.

She laid her head back on the cushioned pillow and folded her arms across her chest, mimicking the gesture with her outstretched legs. Eyes closed, a shudder ran through her body as she recalled the protective, wonderful feeling of having Luke hug her close to him. He cared. He cared enough to let his ever-present guard down. He cared enough to where he had become a little emotional just because she was. He cared enough to let her see his soft side—a side that she found herself wanting to swim in.

She thought back to the time when she had seen _American Beauty_. She remembered being more than a little tickled at the idea of there being so much beauty in the world. _It's just a freaking bag_, she had thought. The owner of the bag probably didn't see it as being beautiful when they tried unsuccessfully to grab it for fear of receiving a $200 littering fine.

The idea, however, didn't seem so stupid in the storeroom. It didn't seem stupid then, and it wasn't feeling stupid now as she relived the emotion that flowed through her as she stared into Luke's face. He was beautiful. Awe-inspiringly beautiful. In the traditional sense, of course. But mainly because it felt like she was connecting to, and therefore, seeing his soul. While that would, with many people, prove to be a scary realization, with Luke, it was an experience. He was beautiful. His soul was beautiful. Flawless. In the worldly, God-fearing sense of the word, it was flawless.

She knew this. She consciously knew this, but it did nothing more than give her a warm, tingling feeling at the thought. It was like she refused to let her mind correlate the feelings with anything that wasn't platonic. Her body had other thoughts, though. It was going there whether her mind followed or not.

Lorelai started to breathe heavily. If someone were to hear her, they may have thought that she was hyperventilating. In. Out. In. Out. Swallow. In. Out. There went her breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, nearly bringing about the appearance of stars. She saw him. She felt him. She felt a sudden arousal, and it scared her. Though, it became clear to her who was bringing on the feeling, she refused to allow it entrance into, even, her mind. It would not make it up to the front of the long line of thoughts waiting to be thought out. It would not.

"Oh, my God," she said in a low whisper. Luke reached up and gently pushed her hair out of her face. The memory of the touch triggered a sound that some people may have called a moan. Lorelai thought it to be a hum. A song in her head that had chosen an awkward moment to break through with the short, indecipherable note.

Her hands, which had been lying languidly on her stomach, started to rub across her midsection. They were tracing the area where Luke's chest and stomach had been pressed firmly against her. Again, she felt him.

She saw him leaning in and pressing his lips to her forehead. That alone, that fleeting feeling, elicited a sound from her throat that not even a song could cover up. She froze her hands as they worked slowly across her stomach. She looked down, increasingly aware of where they could have potentially ended up. The thought embarrassed her. While she would admit that she had taken part in doing that a handful of times, it was not something that she enjoyed. At least not the jumpstarting portion. It was awkward, and she had always preferred the real thing.

She held her hands out in front of her, looking as if she were readying them for a reprimand. Before she could set her mind to anything, however, there was a solid knock on the front door. Welcoming the distraction, Lorelai hopped up from the sofa and walked quickly to the door.

Upon opening it, her breath caught. "Uh, hi Luke. What are you doing here?" She stepped back, still clutching the doorknob as she allowed him entrance into the house.

"Hey Lorelai," he said. He was smiling. He walked in with his hands planted in his back pockets. "I was just coming to check on you like I said I would."

Lorelai thought back briefly. That morning when she had come back in the diner from the storeroom, she and Luke had resumed their normal talking pattern. Luke was particularly chatty. Working overtime to keep Lorelai's mind off of whatever was causing her sadness. When she was getting ready to leave, Luke had offered to check on her later in the day. She said that she would be fine, but Luke fought the urge to comply and insisted that he'd be by later. She smiled and accepted the visit.

"Yeah, of course," Lorelai said. She closed the door behind him and copied his hand position. Except her hands went in her front pockets. They both stood in the foyer facing one another.

"So," Luke said. "Everything good?" The affectionate look on his face and the softness of his voice let Lorelai know the myriad of things that he wanted to ask. All of them came out in a nice, thrifty two-word question.

"Everything is great, Luke. And, I want to thank you for…being there for me earlier. You have no idea…" She nodded as if she had made a complete, understanding proclamation. To Luke she had.

"It's fine," he said flippantly. "It got me away from Kirk, so I should be thanking you." His eyes twinkled. Usually, he'd be avoiding eye contact, but he wasn't now. Lorelai didn't notice how much he used to avoid eye contact until she was given his full attention this morning…and now. Overwhelmingly beautiful.

She was starting to lose herself, so she felt the urge to move and break the moment. She gave him a brief smile before casting her eyes down to the floorboard.

"You want some water or something? I think I have some---" She stopped in her tracks. She had started to walk into the kitchen, and the small amount of space between him and the wall left little room to walk past. But she had. At least she had tried to. She was sure her heart could be heard loud and clear as it sounded off in her chest. She closed her eyes and tried to gain control of the sensation that was coursing through her. Her arm, or more so her shoulder, was pressed against his chest. He had turned slightly to follow her into the kitchen. Math never having been his strongest subject, he didn't calculate well the amount of time she'd take to pass him, given her pace. He had turned too early, resulting in the light crash of certain body parts.

No harm, no foul. Usually. Usually, the parties would just take a couple of steps back and teasingly blame the other for their clumsiness. Usually the parties would brush off the incident as being nothing more than something that could barely be called a fluke. But not now. Usually. Under normal circumstances. But not now.

Lorelai felt her eyes flutter. She tried unsuccessfully to keep them open, but lost the battle.

Lorelai was at a somewhat awkward angle. She was between the wall and Luke with a shoulder against each. If anyone were going to move, it would have to be Luke, but he wasn't budging.

Yet, he offered a barely audible, "Sorry". He still didn't budge.

Eyes still closed, Lorelai replied back softly, "That's OK." She didn't make a move to move him. He was barely against her, so shoving him away would have been easier than easy. Yet, it seemed the hardest thing to do.

Luke contemplated what to do, but he came up empty. All he knew was that he did not want to move. He couldn't…but would if she objected. She was not objecting.

He extracted both hands from his pockets and brought them to his sides, fingertips against thighs. Slowly, he brought his right hand---his shaky right hand---up and pressed it gently against her lower back. As soon as his hand was completely splayed over her back, Lorelai let out a heavy breath and turned to face him gradually. Her eyes were still closed, but her face was lifted to where if her eyes were open, she'd be looking directly into his eyes.

His hand was applying no pressure on her back, so the closeness that was evident after her turn had nothing to do with him. Yet, they were an inch, maybe two, apart.

Lorelai had taken her hands from her pockets as well and they were lying on his chest. Slowly, very very slowly, she opened her eyes. What she was presented with almost made her weak at the knees. He was looking into her eyes. Had been looking into her eyes, even when they were closed.

The thought that she had been working to keep in the recesses of her mind had begun to shove and fight its way to the forefront as soon as she became trapped. As she stared into his eyes, she noticed the 'head of the class' position of the thought. It was smiling and jumping up and down, doing cart wheels and pointing and laughing at all of the other thoughts that it now outranked. Only now, it wasn't just a thought. It was a concrete notion. No, it was a reality.

She wanted to share the realization with someone. She wanted to share it with everyone. She wanted to share it with the person in front of her. It came out in one word. "Hey," she said smiling. She smiled with her mouth. She smiled with her eyes. And, she smiled with her heart. Finally. She was seeing him. She was meeting the 'him' that she denied that she ever wanted to meet.

"Hey," he said with the same smile. The same exact smile.

The smile slowly faded away as she focused in on his lips. She stared at them for a long moment before looking back into his eyes once again. She slid her hands up his body and around his neck. She had no intention of taking her hands off of his body for one second. It had been long enough. Both his hands were positioned on her lower back and they began to seductively rub her exposed skin back there.

The tension was thick, and Lorelai felt the urge to laugh, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She was as serious as she had ever remembered being.

Luke moved in and placed a feather kiss on her forehead. The kiss that had started it all. She pushed her forehead lightly against his lips. He tore his lips from her forehead only to press another kiss on her right temple. Lorelai heard herself swallow. He worked his way down slowly until he made it to the corner of her mouth.

Lorelai had already felt the softness on his lips as he kissed other parts of her face, but she gained a new appreciation when she felt them closer to her mouth. Her breathing was very telling of her arousal. She was gone.

Before Luke kissed her lips, he reared back, and the lack of contact led Lorelai to peel her eyes open. They locked gazes, noticing the dark color in both of their eyes. Slowly, they brought their lips together, both keeping their eyes open until the last possible second. Hardest thing either had ever done, considering the amount of feeling running through each of them.

Their lips came together and almost instantly, their tongues met. Their movements were slow, passionate, and ridiculously in sync. A spectator would never be convinced that they were witnessing a first kiss. The smoothness of the kiss could be attributed to their mouths' distant relationship for eight years. For eight years, they had directed comment after comment toward the other, but had never met up close. Tongue lashings from a distance. The familiarity was there.

They stood in the foyer for a long time kissing like there was no tomorrow. Each was pressed desperately against the other, hands rubbing and providing stimulation to areas that were in easy reach. Neither made a move to take the action elsewhere. They were too enthralled in what they were doing. It was fulfilling in its own right. As soon as the kiss would seem to be coming to an end, it would get hard and heavy again, and another five minutes would be lost. That went on for over thirty minutes, their only support being the wall that held up Lorelai and, through her, Luke. Then, Luke and, through him, Lorelai. The give and take starting early. When they needed breaths, they would move their lips to other areas on the face and surrounding spots. They remained connected. The _new _second best conversation. The counter-convo would be a tough one to beat.

When the sun started to go down, the kisses slowed. Thirty-three minutes and forty one seconds after the second forehead kiss, they gave a mutual peck and rested their foreheads together. Both exhausted. Happy to be so.

"I was supposed to be back at the diner fifteen minutes ago," Luke breathed out.

"Well, if you want, we can make your late arrival really worth it," Lorelai's voice was teasing, but at the same time, seductive.

"Can it get any more worth it?" His voice was low and extremely sexy. Lorelai couldn't help but notice.

"Oh, you have no idea," She said seriously.

They stared at one another, desire dripping from every pore of their bodies, but Luke eventually stepped back, pre-empting another round.

"I'll see you later, Lorelai." He leaned down and placed a firm kiss to her shoulder, causing her to squeeze both of his. This was her self-discipline letting him know that if it left before he did, there would be serious trouble.

"Bye Luke," She said.

They stepped back from each other and fought the desire to reach back in. Lorelai felt suddenly empty, as did Luke. But one thing that they took solace in, was knowing that their cards were now on the table. And as long as there was always a tomorrow, they could continue to deal and play their hand. With one last smile, this is what allowed Luke to walk out of her front door. It's also what allowed Lorelai to let him.

The End

I am seriously pooped right now. I sat down and wrote this when all I was planning on doing was checking my e-mail. Just wanted to give L/L fans a little hope since that may be ruined in approximately 19 hours. I have no idea how good/bad it is, so please let me know. Negative feedback is very much welcome. Oh, yeah, while this may very well be the least of my worries, the ending is not really working for me. I am looking it over right now. Let me know. Thanks a bundle.


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